Topics in Abstract Painting

Jeffrey Simmons has painted and exhibited his work in Seattle for over twenty years. Having grown up in the Midwest, he studied art at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His work is in many private, corporate, and public collections, and he has been a finalist for both the Betty Bowen Award from the Seattle Art Museum (1996) and the Neddy Award, currently administered by Cornish College of the Arts (2008). He is represented in the Northwest by Greg Kucera Gallery, Inc., in Seattle.

The quality of your support will make a difference, but can also add to the cost of materials. Canvas board or pre-stretched canvases will be a good place to start. I will discuss other options in class, and I am always happy to demonstrate canvas stretching for people who haven’t done that. Try to have at least three things to paint on at the beginning. Canvas boards can be purchased in packages of three or more. 12 x 16 inches is a good size to begin with.

A pad of paper or sketchbook is useful for preparatory studies.

Paint:

I favor acrylic paint for classwork, because the faster dry time makes corrections and alterations easier to accomplish and because cleanup can be done with water. A basic palette might include:

Hansa Yellow Light

Pyrrole Red

Quinacridone Magenta

Pthalo Blue (Red Shade) or Ultramarine Blue

Permanent Green Light

Red Iron Oxide

Carbon (Ivory) Black

Titanium White

I usually buy 2 ounce tubes. You can purchase a packaged set if you are just starting out; the color selection in a set may be different, but that is fine.

It is good to have a jar (8 or 16 oz.) of white acrylic gesso to use as a painting ground.

Brushes/pencils:

A selection of flat bristle or synthetic brushes are a good place to start— #4, #8, #10 would be useful. Prices can vary, particularly with synthetic brushes. Less expensive synthetic brushes have a tendency to splay after much usage.

A wide, inexpensive house painter’s brush can be used to apply acrylic gesso to your painting support.

You should have HB graphite pencils or charcoal to draw with.

Miscellaneous:

Paper towels or cotton rags for cleanup.

A container for water. I usually save the plastic 32 oz. containers that yogurt comes in.

A ruler would be useful. Also, the blue or green house painter’s tape is handy for masking straight edges. Scissors or a craft knife if you want to experiment with using the tape to make stencils.

Finally, I will be giving short slide lectures at the beginning of each class. Bring a pen and notebook if you wish to take notes.

Optional/additional notes:

Due to construction at the cathedral next door, parking at Gage Academy of Art has become more difficult and you may find it easier to park on a nearby street. With this in mind, you might want to plan on organizing your supplies in such a way as to fit inside a grocery bag or backpack.

I have tried to provide a list of basic supplies that any painting student might use. Many of my returning students have already produced bodies of work using their own preferred materials and palette; if that applies to you, feel free to make substitutions. This list should be helpful for beginners.

Using the work of historical and contemporary abstract painters as reference, this class will focus on basic issues like composition, color, and technique, as well as more specific topics such as individual painting movements and the influence of other cultural media on abstraction. Individual feedback will be given during class on projects that continue outside of class, and a portion of class meetings will be devoted to group discussion of work-in-progress. Beginners are welcome, as are returning students who wish to continue with their own long-term projects.